Letters to the Editor
Issue date: 4/30/09 Section: Opinions
Firearms jeopardize
learning at University
The following is a copy of a letter sent to Sen. Wes Shoemeyer, D-Clarence. Dear Senator Shoemeyer: I write to ask that you vote against House Bill 668 or any other bill that includes provisions allowing carrying concealed weapons on publicly-funded state institutions of higher education. I am unalterably opposed to this legislation as a Professor of History at Truman State University. Passage of this bill will make Truman less safe than it already is. I wonder how any legislator can think passage of this legislation makes sense just days after the second anniversary of the shooting that took place at Virginia Tech University. The issue is not about Second Amendment rights to carry a weapon. The founding fathers never envisioned an environment where students would carry guns on a college campus where free and unfettered exchange of ideas is cherished. No legislation should ever put that keystone of learning in jeopardy. Weapons in the classroom create a dangerous setting for those who engage in sometimes passionate exchange of ideas about controversial issues that may stir powerful emotions.
As an instructor, I explore and posit alternatives. Sometimes the discussion can become heated, even tense. Two examples from my classroom experience illustrate my concern. The first time I taught the Vietnam War (Washington and Jefferson College, Pennsylvania), the students entered a debate about the war and the morality of combat operations after seeing the film "Hamburger Hill." One of my students had been in that multi-say battle. He became very irate with students who supported the war effort stating that he was mad enough that he would shoot the commanding officer of his battalion if he had a gun and the officer walked into the room at that time. He did not express anger at the students in the class but his comments revealed considerable disgust and disrespect. Later discussions with this student revealed he was under medical care for post-traumatic syndrome.
learning at University
The following is a copy of a letter sent to Sen. Wes Shoemeyer, D-Clarence. Dear Senator Shoemeyer: I write to ask that you vote against House Bill 668 or any other bill that includes provisions allowing carrying concealed weapons on publicly-funded state institutions of higher education. I am unalterably opposed to this legislation as a Professor of History at Truman State University. Passage of this bill will make Truman less safe than it already is. I wonder how any legislator can think passage of this legislation makes sense just days after the second anniversary of the shooting that took place at Virginia Tech University. The issue is not about Second Amendment rights to carry a weapon. The founding fathers never envisioned an environment where students would carry guns on a college campus where free and unfettered exchange of ideas is cherished. No legislation should ever put that keystone of learning in jeopardy. Weapons in the classroom create a dangerous setting for those who engage in sometimes passionate exchange of ideas about controversial issues that may stir powerful emotions.
As an instructor, I explore and posit alternatives. Sometimes the discussion can become heated, even tense. Two examples from my classroom experience illustrate my concern. The first time I taught the Vietnam War (Washington and Jefferson College, Pennsylvania), the students entered a debate about the war and the morality of combat operations after seeing the film "Hamburger Hill." One of my students had been in that multi-say battle. He became very irate with students who supported the war effort stating that he was mad enough that he would shoot the commanding officer of his battalion if he had a gun and the officer walked into the room at that time. He did not express anger at the students in the class but his comments revealed considerable disgust and disrespect. Later discussions with this student revealed he was under medical care for post-traumatic syndrome.
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